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Hydraulic Press
Hydraulic Press
C07.doc Smith & Associates, 530 Hollywood Drive, Monroe, Michigan 48162-2943
HYDRAULIC PRESSES
The hydraulic press is one of the oldest of the basic machine tools. In its modern form, is
well adapted to presswork ranging from coining jewelry to forging aircraft parts. Modern
hydraulic presses are, in some cases, better suited to applications where the mechanical
press has been traditionally more popular. 1
R. Lown, "Hydraulic Presses in the 80's", Based on SME Technical Paper, MF82-918, The Society of
Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn Michigan, 1982. The paper has been updated by Mr. Lown for
subsequent public presentations.
The press shown in Figure 1 has a frame and bolster that are similar to the construction
used for open back stationary (OBS) mechanical presses. The frame is of robust
construction to limit both angular and total deflection. The bolster and ram provide a
surface to mount tooling. The ram is actuated by a large hydraulic cylinder in the center
of the upper part of the frame. Additional alignment is provided by two round guiderods.
The motor drives a rotary pump, which draws oil out of the reservoir housed in the
machine frame. The control system has electrically-actuated valves which respond to
commands to advance and retract the slide or ram. A pressure regulator is either
manually or automatically adjusted to apply the desired amount of force.
Figure 2. The rated capacity of a mechanical press is available only at the bottom of the
stroke. The full force of a simple hydraulic press can be delivered at any point in the
stroke.
Another advantage is that the stroke may be adjusted by the user to match the
requirements of the job. Only enough stroke length to provide part clearance is required.
Limiting the actual stroke will permit faster cycling rates and also reduce energy
consumption.
The desired pre-set hydraulic pressure provides a fixed working force. When changing
dies, different shut heights do not require fine shut height adjustment. Different tool
heights or varying thicknesses of material have no effect on the proper application of
force.
The availability of full machine force at any point in the stroke is very useful in deep
drawing applications. High force and energy requirements usually are needed throughout
the stroke. The ram speed can also be adjusted to a constant value that is best for the
material requirements.
Lubrication
Hydraulic presses have very few moving parts. Those parts that do move, operate in a
flood of pressurized oil, which serves as a built-in lubrication system. Should leakage
occur, it is usually caused by the failure of an easily repairable part such as the ram
packing, or a loose fitting.
Hydraulic presses having guide rods or gibbing, may require a different lubricant than the
hydraulic fluid. The same type of metered or recirculating lubrication systems used on
mechanical presses are used in such cases.
Large Force Capacity
Mechanical presses with high force capacities are physically much larger than their
hydraulic counterparts. Few mechanical presses have been built with force capacities of
6.000 tons (53.376 mN) or more. Higher tonnages or more compact construction is
practical in hydraulic presses. Hydraulic presses for cold forging are built up to 50,000
tons (445 MN) or greater force capacity. Some hydraulic fluid cell presses have force
capacities over 150,000 tons (1,334 mN).
Figure 3 illustrates how two pistons having different diameters both deliver 75 tons (667
kN) of force. The force developed by a hydraulic piston is the product of the area of the
piston times the applied pressure.
Figure 3. Two pistons having different diameters both deliver 75 tons (667 kN) of force
by applying different pressures to each piston.
Figure 3 shows that, 75 tons (667 kN) of force can be achieved by applying 5,300 psi
(36,538 kPa) to a 6-inch (152.4 mm) diameter piston. The same 75 tons (667 kN) of
force is achieved by applying 1,910 (13,168 kPa) to a 10-inch (254 mm) diameter piston.
There is no set rule on the best peak operating pressure for a press design. Obviously,
higher pressures permit the use of more compact cylinders and smaller volumes of fluid.
However, the pumps, valves, seals, and piping are more costly because they must be
designed to operate at higher pressure.
Programmable controllers are a feature of many modern hydraulic presses. The correct
pressure together with ram travel and other parameters is stored in memory by job
number and automatically preset by the diesetter. For deep drawing operations, the
blankholder or hydraulic die cushion force can be varied through the press cycle for best
results.
Figure 4. Cutting soft materials and laminating work may require a low force capacity
machine with a large bed area such as the one illustrated in this simplified drawing.
Figure 4 illustrates a large bed size press having low force capacity. Note the small
cylinder size. Some uses for these presses include cutting and pressing soft materials
such as fabric, and in wood or plastic laminating applications.
Figure 5. Heavy work such as coining and cold-forging requires a compact machine
capable of delivering high forces over a small bed area.
Force Requirements
When choosing between a mechanical or hydraulic press for an application a number of
items should be considered. The force required to do the same job is equal for each type
of press. The same engineering formulas are used.
There is always a possibility that an existing job operated in a mechanical press requires
20 to 30 % more force than the rated machine capacity. The overloading problem may
go unnoticed, although excessive machine wear will result. If the job is placed in a
hydraulic press of the same rated capacity, there will not be enough force to do the job.
Always make an accurate determination of true operating forces to avoid this problem.
Figure 6. A two cylinder four post hydraulic press: note that the hydraulic reservoir,
pump and controls are located on top of the machine. A machine of this type is suited for
light to medium duty work that does not involve lateral (side) loads. Verson Corporation
Machine Speed
The forming speed and impact at bottom of stroke may produce different results in
mechanical presses than their hydraulic counterparts. Each material and operation to
form it has a optimal forming rate. For example, drop hammers and some mechanical
presses seem to do a better job on soft jewelry pieces and jobs where coining is required.
In some cases, a sharper coined impression may be obtained at a rapid forming rate.
In deep drawing, controllable hydraulic press velocity and full force throughout the
stroke may produce different results. Often parts that cannot be formed on a mechanical
press with existing tooling can be formed in a hydraulic press that has controllable force
throughout the press stroke and variable blankholder pressure as a function of the ram
position in the press stroke.
Accessories
Most hydraulic press builders offer many control options and accessories. These include:
1. A distance reversal limit switch which is preset for the depth of ram stroke for
automatic return to the top of stroke position.
2. A pressure reversal switch which is set for the highest force delivered before the
ram returns automatically to the top of stroke.
3. Automatic or continuous cycling controls which are used in conjunction with
automatic feeding equipment.
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4. Dwell timers which are adjustable, and are set to open the press after a pre-set
dwell period.
5. Ejection cylinders or knockouts which can be actuated at a preset position, time,
or pressure.
6. Rotary index tables and other work positioning devices often powered by the
press hydraulic system.
7. Hydraulic die cushions which have the advantage of taking up less space than air
cushions while offering controllable programmable resistance throughout their
travel.
Figure 7. A straight side hydraulic press is designed for applications requiring close
alignment. Verson Corporation.
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Press Quality
Since the applications for hydraulic presses ranges all the way from simple hand pumped
maintenance presses, to machines having very high force capacities, types of construction
and desirable features varies accordingly.
Here are just a few design and construction questions that will provide a basis for
comparison of one machine with another.
Frame: Compare the weight if possible. Try to determine the character of the frame
construction. If a weldment, look at the plate thicknesses, extent of ribbing, and stress
relieving.
Cylinder and slide construction: The cylinder size, type of construction used, and
availability of service parts are important. Also determine how well the ram travel is
guided.
Maximum System Pressure: The pressure at which the press delivers full tonnage is
important. The most common range for industrial presses is from 1000 psi (6,894 kPa) to
3000 psi (20,682 kPa). Some machines operate at substantially higher pressures. Higher
pressures may accelerate wear. Make sure that replacement parts are readily available.
Horsepower: The duration, length, and speed of the pressing stroke are the major
factors that determine the required horsepower.
Speed: Take the time to calculate the speed based on the operations you intend to
perform. There are wide variations in hydraulic press speeds.
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1. A high blankholder pressure is maintained upon initial punch contact with the
blank. This will allow the metal to be impressed with the main character features
of the draw punch, lessening the chance of lateral slippage. If slippage occurs a
defect known as a draw line where the initial character line impression will be
visible.
2. Next, the blankholder force is then reduced to allow metal to be drawn into the
die cavity.
3. Then the exact pressure to allow metal flow without objectionable wrinkling is
maintained until the punch nears the end of travel.
4. Near the end the draw punch travel, the blankholder force is increased in order to
prevent metal movement. This may be required to obtain plane strain stretching
of the side-walls in order to reduce springback and stiffen the part.
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M. Ahmetoglu and T. Altan, "Improving Quality in Stamping by Controlling Blankholder Force and
Pressure", The Ohio State University Engineering Research Center for Net Shape Manufacturing,
presented at FMA/SME Presstech Conference, Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois, October 1994. This
conference paper discusses some stamping failure modes and how blankholder force control is used to
improve the process. A number of innovative blankholder force control methods are described and
illustrated.
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There are several processes that apply hydraulic pressure to the workpiece through a
flexible rubber bladder or membrane. These systems combine many of the advantages of
direct fluid application without the mess associated with applying the working fluid
directly to the part. 3
D. Smith, Die Design Handbook, Section 14, Rubber-Pad and Hydraulic-Action Dies, The Society of
Manufacturing Engineers, Dearborn, Michigan, 1990.
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The lower die used for the SAAB fluid-form method is of conventional construction. Air
escape holes are provided for the air enclosed in the die cavity.
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